Water supply device for washing w. c. bowls



April 17, 1962 c. ZORZI 3,0

WATER SUPPLY DEVICE FOR WASHING W.C. BOWLS Filed Oct. 14, 1958 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. 40m 20/;

April 17, 1962 C(ZORZI 3,0 9 4 WATER SUPPLY DEVICEFOR WASHING W.C. BOWLS Filed Oct. 14, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l w H 2 4 Nflfinw m M w United States 3,029,444 WATER SUPPLY DEVICE FOR WASHING W.C. BOWLS Carlo Zorzi, 6 Via Candoglia, Milan, Italy Filed Oct. 14, 1958, Ser. No. 767,133 Claims priority, application Italy June 26, 1958 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-47) This invention relates to a flushing device and, more particularly, it is related to a new and advantageous device designed for supplying to a W.C. bowl a stream of water.

The general object of this invention is to provide a new and improved flushing device of the type referred to above and which is more effective than the ones heretofore proposed and which is noiseless in operation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved construction of the device considered, which comprise few components of simple shape and which may be readily assembled.

The various features and advantages of the invention are in part obvious and in part will be made apparent as this description proceeds. The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims; the invention itself, however, both as to its construction and to its mode of operation, will be made readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred form of embodiment thereof, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming an essential component of this disclosure, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is partly a vertical sectional view and partly a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is partly. a vertical section and partly a side elevation, of a device constructed according to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of a preferred form of embodiment of a valve means which may be ad vantageously included in the flushing system of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the discharge system of the device;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of a water supply device of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like or operatively equivalent components, parts and elements throughout the several figures:

In the form of embodiment shown in FIG. 1 (several of whose parts are illustrated, as structurally modified forms of embodiment thereof, in FIGS. 2 and 4 too) the improved device of the invention includes a tank 10 capable to contain the required amount of water 20 from a lowermost level L" min. to an uppermost level L". The said tank 10 has preferably but not necessarily the shape of a cylinder the height of which is greater, say twice, than its diameter.

The tank 10 is secured, by means of suitable fittings of known type, to a wall 11 at a level above a toilet bowl (not shown).

The discharge duct 12 connecting the device to the toilet bowl is illustrated in FIG. 1 as embedded in said wall 11 but said arrangement may be obviously modified according to the plumbing requirements.

According to a feature of the invention, the water dis charge system of the device includes a siphon without movable components, and wherein the downward discharge portion or branch consists of 12 which is connected at 15 at its upper end portion to the uppermost or elbow of the siphon means whose upward or suction portion or branch 17 has an intake opening 18 inside said.

tank 10 at the said lowermost level L" min. of water in said tank.

In the construction of FIG. 1, the discharge pipe 12 is connected by elbow joints 13 and 14, to a chamber wherein the elbow 16 of siphon is formed. In the simplified forms of embodiment of FIGS. 2. and 4 the elbow 16 is formed in the connection of upper curved portions of discharge duct 12 and of said suction duct 17.

The elbow 16 is located at a level slightly below the uppermost level L" of water in tank 10, but slightly above a second upper level L which, owing to the mode of operation of the device, as ittwill be hereinafter made apparent, may be referred to as normal level of the water 2t) in tank 10. The self-acting valve means included in the water supply system of the device is therefore adjusted for maintaning the water in the tank at said normal high level L for holding the device ready for operation.

Obviously, as the water level is kept at level L, the water nearly fills the suction duct 17 but it does not reach the elbow 16 of the siphon and no discharge can take place. According to an important feature of the invention the siphon is made operative, i.e. it may be primed by temporarily causing the level of water 20 to increase from the normal level L (located below said elbow 16 of siphon) to the higher priming level L" (located Such'advantageous feature of the invention is mainly due to the fact that, upon immersion of said body into the water, the consequent increasing of the level thereof compels the water to completely fill the elbow of the siphon While completely driving out the air therefrom, and thus establishes a fast stream of water which fully occupies the cross-sectional area of the ducts.

This proper operation of the siphon makes the discharge operation quite noiseless. that the noise produced, during the water discharge in conventional flushing devices is mainly due to the fact that the stream of water does not completely fill the ducts and that bubbles of air disturb and possibly interrupt the stream of falling water.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a dome shaped float member 21 is adapted to float on the water 20 in tank It) as the level thereof reaches level L, the

rise of the level from L to L" being obtained by forcing downward said dome-shaped float member 21 into the upper portion of the liquid 20.

The member 21 is hand-operated for causing its downward motion. For example, member 21 is secured to the upper end portion of a rod 22, extending the axis of the tank passing through the bottom 19 of the latter and having a lower end portion extended outside the device and provided with a suitable handle 23. Preferably, a tubular Patented Apr. 17, 1962 It had been found 3 that the valve can be adjusted for interrupting the supply as the water attains the normal level L.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the noise due to entrance of water into an empty tank following a discharge thereof, is prevented by causing the water to enter said tank at a level lower than the lowermost level of the liquid in said tank. The valve means 27 is provided with a shell-shaped cover 41 covering the outlet opening thereof and causing the out-flowing water to pass below the edge 28 of cover 41. In the form of embodiment of FIG. 1, the edge 28 of dome 41 is shown located slightly above the said lowermost level L min, owing to the fact that, for the reasons explained below, in the devices according to the invention the level of water in the tank does not actually drop to the lowermost level, but to a slightly more elevated lower level L min.

It has been further found that the most disturbing noise is produced by conventionally constructed and operating devices when the operation of the siphon ends. In this phase of the operation, while bubbles of air rise in the suction duct 17, water falls back in the suction duct. The last stage of the siphon flow is disturbed and therefore very noisy in the downward branch of the siphon, i.e. in the discharge duct 12. The noise produced by conventional flushing device, and which is transmitted to the Water supply main pipes, is known to be very annoying and undesirable, particularly in hotels and other buildings where many persons live, work and rest.

According to another important feature of the invention, this drawback of conventional flushing devices of the siphon type may be readily overcome by providing means designed to cause interruption of the operation of the siphon slightly before the dropping level of water reaches the level at which the inlet opening of the suction branch 17 of the siphon is located, and to prevent any counter-current motion of water and air in the siphon forming ducts.

According to the invention, as shown in FIG. 4, a pipe 45 having a much smaller area than the area of the siphon forming main ducts 17 and 12 and of the elbow 16, includes a lower portion 46 extending into tank with an air inlet opening located outside the suction duct 17 and at a level L min. slightly above the said lowermost level L" min. at which the inlet 18 of said suction duct 17 is located, and having an upper portion 44 in said elbow 16 (not shown in FIG. I) provided with an air outlet opening onside or near to the uppermost portion of the siphon, either in the suction duct or in the discharge duct 12.

During a discharge flow from duct 12, the water level drops rapidly towards the bottom of tank, and frees the said air inlet opening 46 of said pipe, so that the very small amount of water contained in said pipe 45 will be promptly and noiselessly dropped out and air will be allowed to penetrate in the elbow of siphon, while the main intake opening at 18 of the siphon is still covered by water. At this point, the action of the suction duct 17 abruptly stops, the water still contained either in the suction branch 17 and in the discharge branch 12 will fall towards the bottom of the tank and towards the toilet bowl, respectively, while air passes into the ducts through the pipe 45. No bubbling or other counter-current of air and of water occurs in the siphon.

Upon the provision of the above described features, designed to properly operate as above described, various forms of embodiment of the invention have been actually proved as noiseless during operation.

In FIG. 3 a preferred form of embodiment of a valve means, adapted for operation in the device of FIG. 1 and generally indicated at 27, is shown in sectional view.

Said valve means preferably comprises a valve adapted to prevent a return flow of water, in the event that the pressure drops in the supply network. A plate 30 is positioned above a ball 29 to evenly distribute the water inside the'valve body. A small downwardly open chamber 31 is provided in the interior of the valve body and designed to confine a small amount of air acting as resilient shock-absorber to attenuate the shocks possibly due to the abrupt interruption of the water flow.

Upon passage about the distributor 30, the Water upwardly passes through an annular passage 33 formed between cylindrical and coaxial members 34 and 35 and then passes through passages 36 into a second small chamber 37 wherein a valve member 33 is located and operates. The valve member is perferably provided with a plug portion having a spherical surface and made of a synthetic resilient material so as to form a water-tight seal with a valve seat formed by the edge of an outlet passage 46.

The valve is covered by a bell shaped member 41 having a lower edge 28 and adapted to attain a noiseless entrance of water supplied to the tank. In the form of embodiment of FIG. 3 the bell-shaped member 41 is connected to a rod 39 the lower end portion of which is at its turn connected to the plug 38. The bell-shaped member 41 acts as a valve controlling float moving upwardly when immersed into water.

The precise adjustment of the supply valve to close the passage when the water in tank 10 reaches its normal level L (at which the float 21 of FIG. 1 floats) is attained by the arrangement of FIG. 1. A tubular member 42 connects the float member 21 to a flange member 43, located above the top of the small float 41 covering valve 27, and positioned slightly above the same when float 21 floats on the water at level L and when the small float 41 is in its uppermost position in which valve plug 38 (FIG. 3) abuts the valve seat of passage 40.

In this position, the device is ready for operation. The pressure of supply water filling the small chamber 37 said plug 38 and the buoyancy of the small float 41 which exerts an upward pull on rod 39 and therefore on plug 38 holds the supply valve closed.

When the said handle means 23 (FIG. 1) is downwardly pulled, main float means 21 is caused to downwardly move into the water. Besides the action displacing the water into the siphon for starting the operation of the same, as described above, the flange member 43 is lowered to urge float 41 downwardly and therefore causes separation of plug 38 from the valve seat of passage 40. Such positive action directed to start the water supply is of particular interest to prevent failure in the operation of the device in the case that, for example, after long periods of non-use, plug 38 has become stuck to the valve seat.

In FIG. 5 a possible application of some of the above described advantageous features in modified constructions is shown. A double siphon is shown as having a first suction branch 17' formed between the upper portion of discharge pipe 12 and a bell-shaped member 47 and having an apex portion 16 formed at the top of member 47. A second annular discharge branch is formed between member 47 and an outer pot-shaped member 48, and a second annular suction branch is finally formed between said outer member 48 and an outermost dome member 49. In the double siphon venting of air from the interior of the second apex connection 16", may be used for starting the siphon system. Such venting may be performed through a pipe 50, for example, and hand controlled by a push-button valve 51, for example.

In the construction of FIG. 5, the temporary increment of water level inside member 49 (which acts as a container wherein the first siphon is located and operates) causes the water to fill the top 16' of said first siphon. The provision of the auxiliary pipe 45, the operation and the object of which have been hereinbefore described, improves the operation of the double siphon construction shown in FIG. 5.

While the invention has been heretofore described and shown in a preferred form of embodiment, it is not intended to be limited to the very details shown, as it is obvious that various modifications in design may be resorted to by those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications in water supply mechanisms of the type con sidered, without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the range of equivalence of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a flushing device, in combination, a tank adapted to be filled to a high level; siphon means located in said tank and having a discharge opening for discharging water from said tank; a float means located in said tank in a higher position corresponding to said high level and being manually operable against its buoyancy to a lower position for priming said siphon means by displacing water to a level higher than said high level whereby the water is discharged from said tank through said siphon means to assume a low level; and a valve means located in said tank below said float means and having an inlet adapted to be connected to a water supply, a valve chamber means having an outlet and communicating with said inlet, a valve member in said valve chamber means movable to a closing position closing said outlet, and a float member connected to said valve member and urging the same into said closing position when the water in said tank rises from said low level, said float member being located underneath said float means spaced from the same in said higher position of said float means for closing said valve member independently of said float means and being engaged and downwardly urged when said float means is lowered whereby said valve member opens said outlet when the water level in said tank drops.

2. In a flushing device, in combination, a tank adapted to be filled to a high level; siphon means located in said tank and having a discharge opening for discharging water from said tank; a float means located in said tank in a higher position corresponding to said high level and being manually operable against its buoyancy to a lower position for priming said siphon means by displacing water to a level higher than said high level whereby the water is discharged from said tank through said siphon means to assume a low level; and a valve means located in said tank below said float means and having an inlet adapted to be connected to a water supply, a valve chamber means having an outlet and communicating with said inlet, a valve member in said valve chamber means movable to a closing position closing said outlet, and a bell-shaped float member connected to said valve member and urging the same into said closing position when the water in said tank rises from said low level, said bell-shaped float member enveloping part of said valve chamber means and forming with the same an air space and an annular outlet conduit terminating in an annular outlet located below said outlet and adapted to be located underneath the lowest water level in said tank when said float member drops to its lowest position, said float member being located underneath said float means spaced from the same in said higher position of said float means for closing said valve member independently of said float means and being engaged and downwardly urged when said float means is lowered whereby said valve member opens said outlet when the water level in said tank drops.

3. In a flushing device, in combination, a tank adapted to be filled to a high level; siphon means located in said tank and having a discharge opening for discharging water from said tank; a float means located in said tank in a higher position corresponding to said high level and being manually operable against its buoyancy to a lower position for priming said siphon means by displacing water to a level higher than said high level whereby the water is discharged from said tank through said siphon means to assume a low level; and a valve means located in said tank below said float means and having an inlet adapted to be connected to a water supply, a valve chamber means having an outlet and an opening adjacent said outlet communicating with said inlet, a valve member in said valve chamber means and having a valve opening position spaced from said opening and from said outlet, and a valve closing position located in the region of said opening and closing said outlet so that the pressure of water flowing in said valve opening position of said valve member through said opening and'out of said outlet urges said valve member away from said outlet, and a float member connected to said valve member and urging the same into said closing position when the Water in said tank rises from said low level, said float member being located underneath said float means spaced from the same in said higher position of said float means for closing said valve member independently of said float means and being engaged and downwardly urged when said float means is lowered whereby said valve member opens said outlet when the water level in said tank drops.

4. In a flushing device, in combination, a tank adapted to be filled to a high level; siphon means located in said tank and having a discharge opening for discharging water from said tank; a float means located in said tank in a higher position corresponding to said high level and being manually operable against its buoyancy to a lower position. for priming said siphon means by displacing water to a level higher than said high level whereby the water is discharged from said tank through said siphon means to assume a low level; and a valve means located in said tank below said float means and having an inlet adapted to be connected to a water supply, a valve chamber means having an outlet and an opening adjacent said outlet communicat-ing with said inlet, a valve member in said valve chamber means and having a valve opening position spaced trom said opening and from said outlet, and a valve closing position located in the region of said opening and closing said outlet so that the pressure of water flowing in said valve opening position of said valve member through said opening and out of said outlet urges said valve member away from said outlet, and a bell-shaped float member connected to said valve member and urging the same into said closing position when the water in said tank rises from said low level, said bell-shaped float member enveloping part of said valve chamber means and forming with the same an air space and an annular outlet conduit terminating in an annular outlet located below said outlet and adapted to be located underneath the lowest water level in said tank when said float member drops to its lowest position, said float member being located underneath said float means spaced from the same in said higher position of said float means for closing said valve member independently of said float means and being engaged and downwardly urged when said float means is,

lowered whereby said valve member opens said outlet when the water level in said tank drops.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 392,359 Paradice Nov. 6, 1888 653,005 Hastings July 3, 1900 758,970 Jackson May 3, 1904 2,099,631 Serra Nov. 16, 1937 2,560,532 Cole July 17, 1951 

